I had my doubts about A Christmas Horror Story. There are a lot of cheap Christmas horror movies getting made and this one appearing straight to video seemed to fit that idea. And William Shatner? He can be a sign of high cheese levels. It also didn’t help that there was a cheap scare early on in the movie which made me cringe a bit. So when the movie went on to be mildly compelling, I was pleasantly surprised. And Shatner is really good in it, understated, but interesting.

The film is essentially three smaller stories, four I guess, interwoven around Shatner’s non-narration. None of the stories all that compelling, but together they make a nice little buffet of Christmas horror. And seeing how they overlap is a nice touch. I was impressed at the end how they all wrapped up as well, so I enjoyed it much more as a sum of it’s parts that I would have any of the pieces. Krampus is a big player as well. Doesn’t Krampus seem to be ramping up in a big way in popular culture? Should make for some more interesting films in the coming year. He’s more of a bit player here, but still entertaining.

I didn’t know it was Canadian when I watched it, but I definitely suspected. Can’t quite put my finger on why, but there was something about it. I think that’s a good thing, though I’m sure not everyone will. There are whiffs of low budget, a hint of Degrassi and a soupcon of Pontypool. And of course Shatner. These were all plusses for me. Not a great film by any means, but interesting and compelling. I’ll be recommending it for people who want some new and interesting Christmas horror.